Prosecution Insights
Last updated: April 19, 2026
Application No. 18/140,227

LED Controller and Wiring Connector

Non-Final OA §102
Filed
Apr 27, 2023
Examiner
ANDERSON, AMARA
Art Unit
2831
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
Birdbones Inc.
OA Round
1 (Non-Final)
87%
Grant Probability
Favorable
1-2
OA Rounds
2y 11m
To Grant
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 87% — above average
87%
Career Allow Rate
55 granted / 63 resolved
+19.3% vs TC avg
Strong +15% interview lift
Without
With
+15.4%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
2y 11m
Avg Prosecution
12 currently pending
Career history
75
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§103
52.9%
+12.9% vs TC avg
§102
42.9%
+2.9% vs TC avg
§112
4.2%
-35.8% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 63 resolved cases

Office Action

§102
DETAILED ACTION This action is in response to the application filed on April 27, 2023. Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . Claim Objections Claim 3 is objected to because of the following informalities: Claim 3, line 1: “wherein a trace system of that” should be --“wherein a trace system of the--. Appropriate correction is required. Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action: A person shall be entitled to a patent unless – (a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention. Claims 1-3, 7, 16, 18 and 19 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Goward (US-20190066571-A1). With respect to Claim 1: Goward discloses a Light Emitting Diode (LED) controller and wiring connector (Fig. 8: 800; Fig. 10: 900), comprising: a rib 906/910 (see Annotated Fig. 10 below); a plurality of first posts (Annotated Fig. 10), wherein said plurality of first posts (Annotated Fig. 10) extends from a first end (Annotated Fig. 10) of said rib 900; and, a plurality of second posts (Annotated Fig. 10), wherein said plurality of second posts (Annotated Fig. 10) extends from a second end (Annotated Fig. 10) of said rib 900; wherein said second end (Annotated Fig. 10) is opposite of said first end (Annotated Fig. 10), wherein said plurality of first posts 806 (Fig. 8) and said plurality of second posts 818 (Fig. 8) comprise a plurality of trace systems 808 (Fig. 8; [0051], lines 1-22) capable of allowing channel and power distribution ([0032], lines 1-9) from said plurality of first posts (Annotated Fig. 10) to said plurality of second posts (Annotated Fig. 10). PNG media_image1.png 457 788 media_image1.png Greyscale With respect to Claim 2: Goward discloses the LED controller and wiring connector 800 (Fig. 8), wherein a trace system 808 (Fig. 8) of said plurality of trace systems comprises a series connection from a first post 806 (Fig. 8) of said plurality of first posts (see Annotated Fig. 10 above) to a second post 818 (Fig. 8) of said plurality of second posts ([0050], [0051]). With respect to Claim 3: Goward discloses the LED controller and wiring connector (Figs. 8 and 10), wherein a trace system 808 (Fig. 8) of that plurality of trace systems comprises a predefined connection from a first post 806 (Fig. 8) said plurality of first posts to a second post 818 (Fig. 8) of said plurality of second posts ([0050], [0051]). With respect to Claim 7: Goward discloses the LED controller and wiring connector (Figs. 8 and 10), wherein each of said plurality of first posts (Annotated Fig. 10) and said plurality of second posts (Figs. 8 and 10) comprises a male terminal connector (Annotated Fig. 10). With respect to Claim 16: Goward discloses a method of providing a Light Emitting Diode (LED) controller and wiring connector (Fig. 8: 800; Fig. 10: 900), the method comprising steps of: providing a rib 906/910 (Annotated Fig. 10); providing a plurality of first posts (Annotated Fig. 10) extending from a first end (Annotated Fig. 10) of said rib (Annotated Fig. 10); providing a plurality of second posts (Annotated Fig. 10) extending from a second end (Annotated Fig. 10) of said rib (Annotated Fig. 10), said second end (Annotated Fig. 10) being opposite of said first end (Annotated Fig. 10); and providing a plurality of trace systems 808 (Fig. 8; [0051], lines 1-22) between said plurality of first posts (Annotated Fig. 10) and said plurality of second posts (Annotated Fig. 10) for allowing channel and power distribution ([0032], lines 1-9) from said plurality of first posts (Annotated Fig. 10) to said plurality of second posts (Annotated Fig. 10). With respect to Claim 18: Goward discloses the method, further comprising providing a series connection 808 (Fig. 8) from a first post (Annotated Fig. 10) of said plurality of first posts to a second post (Annotated Fig. 10) of said plurality of second posts for the channel and power distribution ([0024], [0031], [0032]). With respect to Claim 19: Goward discloses the method, further comprising providing a predefined connection 912 (Fig. 10) from a first post (Annotated Fig. 10) of said plurality of first posts to a second post (Annotated Fig. 10) of said plurality of second posts for the channel and power distribution ([0024], [0031], [0032]). Allowable Subject Matter Claims 8-15 are allowed. Claims 4-6, 17 and 20 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Regarding Claim 4, allowability resides, at least in part, with the prior art, taken alone or in combination not showing or fairly teaching or suggesting the LED controller and wiring connector, wherein one or more first posts of said plurality of first posts are cut to connect to a LED controller, and wherein one or more second posts of said plurality of second posts are cut to connect to terminal connectors, as recited in claim 4, in conjunction with ALL the remaining limitations of the base claims. The prior art of record fails to teach or fairly suggest these limitations as substantially described in claim 4, these limitations, in combination with remaining limitations of claim 1, are neither taught nor suggested by the prior art of record, before claim 4 is allowable. Claims 5-6 are dependent on claim 4 and are therefore allowable. Regarding Claim 8, allowability resides, at least in part, with the prior art, taken alone or in combination not showing or fairly teaching or suggesting a Light Emitting Diode (LED) controller and wiring connector further comprising a plurality of third posts, wherein said plurality of third posts extends from said rib perpendicularly to said plurality of first posts and said plurality of second posts, wherein said plurality of first posts, said plurality of second posts and said plurality of third posts comprise a plurality of trace systems capable of allowing channel and power distribution from said plurality of first posts and said plurality of second posts to said plurality of third posts, as recited in claim 8, in conjunction with ALL the remaining limitations of the base claims. The prior art of record fails to teach or fairly suggest these limitations as substantially described in claim 8, these limitations, in combination with remaining limitations of claim 8, are neither taught nor suggested by the prior art of record, before claim 8 is allowable. Claims 9-15 are dependent on claim 8 and are therefore allowable. Regarding Claim 17, allowability resides, at least in part, with the prior art, taken alone or in combination not showing or fairly teaching or suggesting the method, further comprising: cutting one or more first posts of said plurality of first posts to connect to a LED controller; and cutting one or more second posts of said plurality of second posts to connect to a plurality of terminal connectors, as recited in claim 17, in conjunction with ALL the remaining limitations of the base claims. The prior art of record fails to teach or fairly suggest these limitations as substantially described in claim 17, these limitations, in combination with remaining limitations of claim 16, are neither taught nor suggested by the prior art of record, before claim 17 is allowable. Claim 20 is dependent on claim 17 and is therefore allowable. Conclusion Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Amara Anderson whose telephone number is (703)756-1470. The examiner can normally be reached Monday - Friday, 09:00 - 17:00 EST.. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Abdullah A. Riyami can be reached at (571)270-3119. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /AMARA ANDERSON/Examiner, Art Unit 2831 /PETER G LEIGH/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2831
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Prosecution Timeline

Apr 27, 2023
Application Filed
Sep 18, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §102 (current)

Precedent Cases

Applications granted by this same examiner with similar technology

Patent 12603446
Connector Device and Connection Unit
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 14, 2026
Patent 12597726
Connector With Conductive Layer
2y 5m to grant Granted Apr 07, 2026
Patent 12592512
ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR WITH WATER-PROOF MEMBER
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 31, 2026
Patent 12586963
ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR HAVING AN ANOMALY ALERT SYSTEM AND A BRITTLE MEMBRANE
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 24, 2026
Patent 12580353
ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY WITH AUTOMATIC RETURN FUNCTION
2y 5m to grant Granted Mar 17, 2026
Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

1-2
Expected OA Rounds
87%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+15.4%)
2y 11m
Median Time to Grant
Low
PTA Risk
Based on 63 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allow rate.

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